Adhesive applying machine



Nov. 30, 1943. w. MaGKENZIE 2,335,349

ADHESIVE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Feb. 11, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NOV. 30,1943. W. L. MacKENZlE ADHESIVE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Feb. 11, 1942 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 30, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEADHESIVE APPLYING MACHINE.

Wilbur L. MacKenzie, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe MachineryCorporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationFebruary 11, 1942, Serial No. 430,345

13 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for applying a coating to a shoepart and is directed more particularly to the application of adhesive tothe lasting margin of the upper of rubber shoes of the type commonlyknown as tennis shoes or sneakers.

In the manufacture of rubber shoes of this type, the upper is assembledpreparatory to lasting by stitching the tongue, which includes the tip,to the forepart of the quarters and the junior to the back part of thequarters, thereby providing what is called a circular or closed upper.The lower edge of the combined tongue and tip where it is joined to theforepart of the quarters does not coincide with the lower edge of thequarters, as illustrated. This is also true of the lower edge of thejunior. As a result, the lasting margin of the inner surface of theupper to which the adhesive is to be applied so that the upper may bepulled in over the insole and caused to adhere thereto prior toattachment of the outsole is not of uniform thickness. In order,therefore, to insure the application of adhesive to the entire lastingmargin, the lasting margin heretofore has been held against an adhesiveapplying roll by a plurality of spring fingers, each finger actingindependently of the adjacent finger. It is quite common in themanufacture of tennis shoes and sneakers to decorate the uppers bystitching thereto wide strips of rubber. These strips are carried downto the lower edge or lasting margin of the upper so that they are lastedin with the upper. Accordingly, when adhesive is applied to the lastingmargin, the rubber strips will come in contact with the aforesaid springfingers. The rubber has a high coefiicient of friction and thereforeresists movement between the spring fingers and the adhesive applyingroll. If the operator attempts to force the work at this point, therubber strips bunch up and prevent the work from being moved furtherwithout either damaging the work or stalling the machine.

It is an object of the invention to provide improved means to facilitatepassage of the work through the machine to eliminate the aforesaidbunching caused by the excessive friction produced between the rubberstrips and the spring fingers.

This is accomplished, as a feature of the invention, by vibrating thespring fingers, which hold the work against the applying roll, duringthe movement of the work between them and the applying roll, thevibration of the fingers being confined to movement toward and away fromthe surface of the applying roll such that any one point on the fingersmoves always in a single vertical plane.

The character of the work depends upon the type of material used for themanufacture of the shoes, that is, a very light fabric or a very heavyfabric may be employed. The spring fingers may, in one case, besufficiently stiif to hold the different thicknesses of the lastingmargin close against the applying roll, but when a heavier or lightermaterial is used, these fingers may be either not stiff enough or toostiff. Accordingly, another feature of the invention resides in meansco-operable with the spring fingers constructed and arranged to vary theunsupported length of the fingers so as to vary their stiffness fordifferent weights of work.

The machine will now be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation ofsubstantially the entire machine;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation and on a larger scale of the applyin rolland the work supporting fingers;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1 as seen from theleft side;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the supporting fingersand the support therefor;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the applying roll with thespring fingers in section, showing the way the spring fingers hold thelasting margin of the work against the applying roll; and

Fig. 6 shows an angular view of a rubber shoe top or upper, wrong sideout, showing the overlap of the junior, tongue and vamp along thelasting margin.

The machine as disclosed herein comprises, in general, a base In fromwhich there rises a pedestal-like frame 12, the frame [2 supporting theoperating parts of the machine which consist of an adhesive applyingroll I4 and means 16 for holding the work against the applying roll.

The applying roll I4 is mounted to rotate with a shaft l8 which ijournaled in the frame of the machine and driven by gearing (not shown).The surface of the applying roll it is supplied with adhesive in thecustomary manner by a series of transfer rolls, one of which is shown at20.

The work to which the adhesive is to be applied is what is called aclosed or circular upper and, as shown in Fig. 6, comprises quarters Qjoined at their forepart by a tongue T, which includes the tip. Thepoints at which the edges of the tip are stitched to the quarters do notcoincide exactly with the lower edge of the quarters, as illustrated.This is also true of the lower edge of the junior which is short of thelower edges of the quarters to the rear part of which it is stitched.Accordingly, the lasting margin to which the adhesive is to be appliedis not of uniform thickness and, in order to hold this uneven marginagainst the applying roll [4 to insure the application of adhesive toevery part thereof, the holding means is made up of a plurality ofspring fingers 22 (Figs. 2 and 5) which are arranged side by side belowthe surface of the applying roll and which may yield Within limitsaccording to the thickness of the work at any point. One end of each ofthese fingers 22 is secured by a bar 24 to a segment 26 formed on aU-shaped bracket 28, the bracket being fastened to one arm 39 (Fig. 1)of a bell crank 32 which is pivotally supported on the frame of themachine at 34. It is to be observed that by this arrangement the fingersmay be moved to and from the surface of the applying roll, but that theydo not have any lateral movement in the direction of the movement of thework as it is drawn between the fingers and the roll. The opposite arm36 of the bell crank is connected by a link 38 to a treadle rod ll bywhich the arm 38 may be raised to bring the spring fingers into aposition co-operating with the applying roll it. The upper end of therod 48 is guided by a link M fastened at one end to the rod 43 and atits opposite end to the frame. A lug 35 formed at the pivoted end of thelink 38 co-operates with a fiat 31 formed on the end of the arm 36 toprevent rotation of the link 38 beyond a position at right angles to thearm when the treadle is depressed for reasons which will appearhereinafter. An adjustable stop 42 is provided on the frame of themachine which cooperates with a boss 53 formed on the arm 30 andsupports the arm 30, when the treadle is released, in its inoperativeposition.

As heretofore explained, the decorative rubber strips which are stitchedto the upper create so much friction when they move between the appiyingroll and the spring fingers that the rubber strips bunch and preventproper feeding of the Work. Accordingly, novel supporting mechanism isprovided, permitting the rubber strips to move between the applying rolland the supporting fingers without causing bunching. This mechanismrapidly vibrates the support for the spring fingers to and from theapplying roll. The rapid vibration of the support for the spring fingersmomentarily lessens the grip between the applying roll and the springfingers, thereby permitting the work to move forward a small distance,and then holds the work against the applying roll so that the adhesivewill be brought into intimate contact therewith. Thus, by intermittentlypressing the work against the applying roll and relieving the pressure,the operator is able to draw the work between the applying roll and thesupporting fingers quite uniformly Without causing buncl'iing of therubber strips. To accomplish this, the link 38 which is connected to thelower of the arm 35 of the bell crank Bil joined by an adjustable rod 46to one end of a lever M pivoted at ill on the frame of the machine. Theopposite end of the lever 1: is provided with a cam roll l8 which ridesin a cam groove 5% formed in the peripheral surface of a cam 52 mountedon a shaft which is driven by a pulley and constitutes the drive shaftfor the applying roll and the transf r rolls which are connected theretoby suitable gearing not shown herein. The link and rod form a togglejoint connection between the arm 35 and the lever Consequently, when thework supporting means It) is in its inoperative position resting againstthe stop t2, the oscillation of the lever it will not produce vibrationof the bell crank 32. This is clear from an inspection of Fig. 1, whichshows that until the treadle 40 is moved down to bring the worksupporting means It into a co-operating position with respect to theapplying roll, the toggle is bent and the link 38 will merely oscillateon the lower end of the arm 36. When, however, the treadle rod til islowered, the link 38 will, by rotation about its pivot, be brought intoalinement with the adjustable rod 46 and thereby produce vibration ofthe bell crank 32. The lug 35 prevents further rotation of the link 38by contact with the flat 31. tion may be adjusted by rotation of aturnbuckle 445 which permits lengthening or shortening of the rod 46.

Fabrics used for manufacturing rubber shoes vary considerably instiffness and for this reason it is desirable to be able to vary thestiffness of the supporting spring fingers 22 thereby to permitvariation, of the supporting pressure. Accordingly, a bar 54 (Fig. 4) ismounted at the inner side of the spring fingers 22 with one longitudinaledge thereof in contact with the undersides of the spring fingers, thecontacting edge of the bar being rounded off to provide substantiallyline contact between the bar and the fingers. The bar is rotatablysupported by a spindle 56 journal'ed in the walls of the U-shapedbracket 23, the axis of the spindle lying substantially along the locusof the centers of the fingers. By turning the bar 54 about the spindle56, the unsupported length of the spring fingers may be varied, therebyvarying the stiffness of the fingers. The position of the bar 54 may befixed at any particular point by a setscrew 58 which is passed throughthe segment 26 and sets up against the inner edge of the bar.

It is 'dificult to procure spring steel which is of such uniform qualitythat, when made up into spring fingers of the type employed herein inwhich only one end of each finger is fastened, the free ends of thefingers will all lie in the same plane. In order to keep the fingers inthe same plane so that no one of them will approach too close to theapplying roll and thereby pick up adhesive which ultimately would soilthe display side of the upper, a rod 60 is mounted on the bracket 28 ina position to overlie the upper free ends of the fingers, as shown inFigs. 3 and 4. This prevents the fingers from moving beyond apredetermined position with respect to the applying roll but at the sametime permits the fingers to yield inwardly to accommodate variations inthe thickness of the work.

A gage 62 for guiding the inner edge of the Work as it is moved throughthe machine is adjustably fastened to the arm 33 which supports thefingers 22. This gage isadjustable so that the width of the band ofadhesive may be varied in accordance with the kind of work beinghandled.

When the machine is is use, the operator takes an upper and turns itwrong side out, as shown in Fig. 6. The work is then rested upon thespring fingers 22 with its edge against the gage 52. The operator thenraises the spring fingers by depressing the treadle rod 45, therebybringing the work into contact with the applying roll and at the sametime moving the link 38 into alinement with the rod 46 to cause thereciprocation of the arm 44 to vibrate the bell crank 32. The operatorfeeds the work through the ma chine by hand and the rapid vibration ofthe work support It is sufficient to hold the 'workin intimate contactwith the applying roll and yet The range of the vibra to permit therubber strips which are attached to the outer surface of the upper topass between the applying roll and the work holding means it withoutbunching.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, an adhesiveapplying roll, resilient means for holding the work against the adhesiveapplying roll, said resilient means being fixed from lateral movement inthe direction of movement of the work but movable to and from thesurface of the applying roll, and means for vibrating said resilientmeans with respect to the surface of said adhesive applying roll.

2. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, applying meanshaving an applying surface, a plurality of yieldable fingers for holdingthe work against the surface of the applying means as it is passedtherebetween, said fingers and roll being superposed and said yieldablefingers being fixed from lateral movement with the work but movable toand from the surface of the applying means, and means for vibrating saidfingers as a whole with respect to the surface of the applying meansirrespective of the planar position of any individual finger at anygiven time.

3. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, applying means,yieldable work holding means for holding the work against the applyingmeans, means co-operable with said yieldable work holding meansconstructed and arranged to vary the yieldabilityof said work holdingmeans, and means for vibrating said work holding means to and from theapplying means.

4. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, applying means, aplurality of yieldable fingers for holding the work against the applyingmeans, means co-operable with said fingers to vary their yieldability asa whole, and means for vibrating said fingers to and from the applyingmeans.

5. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, applying means, aplurality of yieldable fingers supported at one end adjacent to theapplying means with their free ends extending in an are close to thesurface of the applying means, means co-operable with said fingers tovary their unsupported lengths as a unit, and means for vibrating saidfingers to and from the applying means.

6. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, an applying roll,an arm adjacent to the applying roll, a plurality of yieldable fingersfixed at one end to said arm, the free ends of said fingers extendinginto co-operating positions with respect to the applying roll, a barmounted on said arm with a portion thereof in contact with the inside ofthe fingers, said bar being movable to change its position of contactwith the fingers, and means for vibrating said arm.

7. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, an applying roll,an arm adjacent thereto, a plurality of yieldable fingers for holdingthe work against the applying roll, said fingers being fixed at one endto said arm with their free ends extending close to the surface of theapplying roll, means for restraining the movement of the fingers out ofa common plane away from the arm but permitting unrestrained movementtoward the arm, and means for vibratin said fingers as a whole withrespect to the applying roll.

8. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, an applying roll,an arm adjacent thereto, a plurality of yieldable fingers for holdingthe work against the applying roll, said imgers being fixed at one endto said arm with their free ends extending close to the surface of theapplying roll, a rod in contact with the outer surface of the free endsof the fingers, said rod serving to restrain movement of the fingersaway Irom the arm and permitting movement inwardly thereof, and meansfor vibrating said arm.

9. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, applying means, aplurality of yieidable fingers supported at one end adjacent to theapplying means with their free ends extending in and are close to thesurface of the applying means, means engaging the top sides of the freeends of the lingers, and means engaging the undersides oi' said fingers,said last-named means being adjustable relative to the fingers fromtheir supported to their unsupported ends.-.

10. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, an adhesiveapplying roll, a plurality of spring fingers for holding the workagainst the adhesive applying roll, means for supporting the springfingers adjacent to the adhesive applying roll, said means being fixedfrom lateral movement in the direction of movement of the work butmovable to and from the surface thereof, oscillatable means, andadjustable means connecting said supporting means to the oscillatablemeans to produce vibration thereof to and from the surface of theapplying roll.

11. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, an adhesiveapplying roll, a plurality of spring fingers for holding the workagainst the adhesive applying roll, a support for the spring fingers,said support being fixed from lateral movement in the direction ofmovement of the work but movable to and from the surface of the applyingroll, a lever, cam means for oscillating said lever, toggle meansconnecting said lever to the support, and means operable to straightensaid toggle means to produce vibration of the lever to and from thesurface of the applying roll.

12. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, an adhesiveapplying roll, a plurality of spring fingers for holding the workagainst the adhesive applying roll, a support for the spring fingersoperable to move the spring fingers from inoperative to operativeposition, oscillatable means, means forming a connection between thesupport and said oscillatable means, and means for causing saidconnection to transmit the oscillations of said oscillatable means tosaid support when the support is in operative position to producevibration thereof.

13. In a machine for applying adhesive to a shoe part, an adhesiveapplying roll, a plurality of spring fingers for holding the workagainst the adhesive applying roll, a support for the spring fingersoperable to move the spring fingers from inoperative to operativeposition, oscillatable means, means forming a connection between thesupport and the oscillatable means, and means for moving the supportfrom inoperative to operative position, said means simultaneouslycausing said connection to transmit the oscillations of saidoscillatable means to said support.

WILBUR L. MACKENZIE.

